Refrigerating apparatus



Patented Jan. 15, 1935 PATENT OFFICE REFRIGERATIN G APPARATUS Lawrence A. Philipp, Detroit, Mich., asslgnor to Kelvinator Corporation, Detroit, Mich a corporation of Michigan Application June 8, 1932, Serial No. 616,053

1 Claim.

This invention relates to refrigerating apparatus and more particularly to refrigerating apparatus of the household type.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a new and improved arrangement of a refrigerating system within a cabinet.

Another object of the invention is to provide a refrigerator cabinet so constructed as to receive a unitary refrigerating system adapted to be inserted in and removed from the rear of the cabinet in a new and improved manner.

Another object of the invention is to provide a refrigerator cabinet having a refrigerating system associated therewith in a manner so as to occupy a minimum of cabinet space, and to arrange for the ready removal of the refrigerating system from the cabinet as a unitary structure whereby necessity of disconnecting the units is eliminated.

Another object is to maintain the symmetrical appearance of the refrigerator cabinet having the aforesaid characteristics.

Other objects and advantages are apparent from the following description and the accom= panying drawing. 1

In the drawing:

Fig. i is a front view of a refrigerator cabinet in'elevation embodying features of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view in cross section taken in the 30 direction of the arrows 2--2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view in cross section taken in the direction of the arrows 3--3 of Fig. 2, illustrating the arrangement of the refrigerating systern within the cabinet; e

Fig. 4 is a side view in cross section of the cabinet shown with the refrigerating system removed;

Fig-5 is a top plan view of the refrigerating system shown removed from the cabinet;

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of a modified form of v 40 refrigerating system shown removed from the cabinet; and

Fig. l is a side view in cross section taken in the direction of the arrows 7-7 of Fig. 6.

45 Referring to the drawing, the numeral 20 desig food storage compartment 21. The cabinet includes insulated walls including a top wall 23, bottom wall 24, side walls 26, rear wall 27 and a front wall 29. These walls are enclosed by an outer casing 30. An inner metallic lining member 31 forms the inner walls of the cabinet and is preferably provided with a coating of vitreous enamel such as porcelain to provide a neat appearing cabinet and one which is easily cleaned. The front wall 29 is provided with an opening 38 notes in general a refrigerator cabinet having a through which access to the food compartment may be had. A movable closure member or door 32 is provided to close the opening.

The cabinet is constructed to provide for the association of a removable unitary refrigerating system in a new and efficient manner. To accomplish this, the fixed top wall 23 is arranged to extend from the front of the cabinet to a point between the front and rear walls covering only a portion of the food compartment 21. At the rear edge of the top wall 23, the side walls 26 are stepped downwardly having vertical edges 35, preferably flush with the rear edge of the top wall, and horizontally disposed edges 37 extending to the rear wall 27. The rear wall 2'7 extends upwardly from the bottom wall 24 and terminates preferably flush with the horizontal edges 37 of the side w.

It will be seen that the edges of the top, rear and side walls define an opening 40 in the top rear corner of the cabinet leading into the food compartment 21. About the edges of this opening the inner lining member 31 may be flanged and A unitary structure is arranged to be associated with the cabinet and includes a refrigerating system comprising in general a refrigerant cooling element 50 and a refrigerant condensing element 51. The cooling and condensing elements are carried by an insulating wall structure 45 which is adapted to cooperate with the edges of the top, rear and side walls defining the opening 40 to seal the food compartment from the exterior. This wall structure comprises in general a vertical extending wall 53, a horizontal extending wall 55 and side walls 58 and when in operative position in the cabinet extends into and occupies a portion of the upper rear part of the food compartment 21. As shown this wall structure extends across the width of the cabinet within the outer casing of the side walls 26 and is slidably mounted on .the horizontal edges 37 of the side walls. The inner side of the removable wall structure is preferably provided with a metallic lining member 57 having a coating of vitreous enamel corresponding to the enamel finish of the food compartment 21.

The refrigerant cooling element 50 is suitably may be inserted trays 58 for freezing substances such as water and an air cooling zone 59 for cooling circulating air in the food storage compartment. The condensing element is supported and arranged on the horizontal wall at the rear of the cabinet and in the same horizontal plane with the cooling element. It will be seen from this arrangement of the condensing mechanism that it is open to the free circulation of air through the rear of the cabinet. A removable top 54'is provided which covers the entire top of the cabinet thus concealing and protecting the condensing element from the top.-

The condensing element comprises in general a motor-compressor unit which may be of any suitable type preferably enclosed within a hermetically sealed casing 60 and a condenser 62. In the usual manner gaseous refrigerant is withdrawn from the cooling element or evaporator 50 through conduit. 63 by the compressor which compresses it and delivers the compressed gas through conduit 65 to the condenser wherein it is liquefied. The liquid refrigerant is then delivered to the evaporator through the conduits 6'7 and 69 after first passing through a high side float mechanism 76. Preferably the condenser is air cooled and for this purpose I have provided a fan 72 driven by the motor compressor unit. This fan also circulates the air which enters through the rear of the cabinet over the condensing element to remove the heat generated thereby from the cabinet.

In Figs. 6 and 7 is shown another form of a removable insulating wall structure indicated at 79 which is also adapted to be associated with the cabinet 20 to seal the food compartment. This insulating member is L-shaped in cross section,

comprising an upright wall 80 and a horizontal wall 81. The width of the insulating member is such that it may telescope within the outer casing 30 and be slidably supported on the stepped side walls 26. A cooling element and a condensing element 91 may be carried by the insulating.

It will also be structure may be horizontally slid part way rearwardly and then lifted vertically upward so that in instances "here there is not suflicient space to remove it entirely in a horizontal direction it may be conveniently removed in this manner.

From the foregoing description, it will be readily seen that I have provideda new and improved refrigeratingapparatus in which a unitary refrigerating system is arranged so as to be bodily removable from the rear of the cabinet in a new and improved manner. Another advantage of the invention is that the removable refrigerating system is arranged in the cabinet so as to occupy a minimum of the food storage space. In addition the symmetrical appearance of the cabinet is maintained although certain wall portions are provided with openings and the refrigerating unit is slidably removable through the openings.

Although only a preferred form of the invention has been illustrated, and that form described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claim. What I claim as my invention is: Refrigerating apparatus comprising, in combination, a cabinet having a food compartment formed by insulating walls, including a fixed wall covering a top front portion of the compartment, side walls stepped down at the rear edge of the top portion and a rear wall having its top edge flush with the lower stepped portions of said side walls, said lower stepped portions providing parallel spaced apart supporting walls on the same horizontal plane, an outer casing enclosing said Walls and extending above said lower stepped portions to a point substantially in alignment with said top portion, removable wall means having an upright portion and a horizontal portion cooperating with the edges of the top, lower stepped parallel spaced portions and rear wall to seal said compartment from the outer atmosphere and being arranged to cooperate with said outer casing to provide a machine compartment, a refrigerant cooling element positioned in said food compartment immediately below said top portion, and a condensing element carried by said. removable wall means in said machine compartment, said elements and said means being bodily removable as a unitary structure from the rear of said cab inet.

LAWRENCE A. PHILIPP. 

